Today on CrossCurrents - Annie Denver and Karmen Dopslaff on John Denver's Aspenglow Fund, which has been quietly supporting environmental and educational causes in the Roaring Fork Valley and around the world.

Also, Aspen Public Radio is pleased to announce the receipt of a grant from The John Denver Aspenglow Fund at the Aspen Community Foundation to support news coverage, outreach, and education on the environment.

Today on CrossCurrents - a rebroadcast of a talk by heart expert Dr. Robert Eckel, moderated by Dr. Ann Mass. Dr. Eckel served on the panel that issued the new guidelines on statins and other cholesterol lowering drugs.

Ríos to Rivers is uniting young kayakers from Patagonia, Chile and Colorado with kayaking expeditions in Chile on the Río Baker and in the US on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. The Chilean kayakers will see for the first time a mega-dam and the resultant impacts on the river. US students will experience the majesty of an undeveloped river flowing through a pristine wilderness. The group will learn about the ecological impacts of dams, explore viable renewable energy sources, and take part in cultural exchange.

Today on CrossCurrents - last month, the federal government released the new Record of Decision on oil and gas leasing on the White River National Forest. Guests are Will Roush of the Wilderness Workshop and Zane Kessler from the Thompson Divide Coalition.

Today on CrossCurrents, David Swersky and Jeff Edelson from Mountain Rescue-Aspen on the history of the organization and the new building opening this weekend.

About Mountain Rescue-Aspen:

Mountain Rescue-Aspen was incorporated in 1965 as a non-profit organization and is one of the oldest search and rescue teams in the state. We are accredited through the Rocky Mountain Region of the Mountain Rescue Association and work as a volunteer arm of the Pitkin County Sheriff’s office; providing search and rescue services for Pitkin County and mutual aid for other counties in Colorado.

Our dedicated 50-member team annually donates thousands upon thousands of person-hours serving Pitkin County’s community and visitors. These hours represent time away from families to attend meetings and trainings; educate the public with our annual community avalanche seminar; teach children what to do if they are lost through the national “Hug-A-Tree” program, and of course, engage in search and rescue missions.

Unlike other emergency response agencies such as Police or Ambulance, or even Volunteer Fire, there is no tax base or public budget for Mountain Rescue. We are 100% unpaid volunteers who raise the funding we need each year through the solicitation of public donations and applications for local and state grants.

Today on CrossCurrents, Laura Thielen from Aspen Film with a preview of this year's Academy Screenings.

From the Aspen Film website:

Spend your holidays with Aspen Film! Every winter we celebrate the movies everyone will be talking about this awards season. From starry features to fresh independent voices, this beloved mountain tradition has something for everyone. Where movie lovers and film industry professionals gather to see some of the best films of the year.

For over 40 years, The Buddy Program has been serving the youth in the Roaring Fork Valley. Guests are David Houggy, Executive director and Heather Hicks, Director of Recruitment and the Lemonade Day City Director.

From The Buddy Program website:

For 40 years, the Buddy Program has been serving youth in the Roaring Fork Valley community. The Buddy Program runs five programs throughout the Roaring Fork Valley, including one-on-one mentoring, group/experiential mentoring, and financial literacy education. Pairs in our Community Program stay together for 4.4 years, over twice that of national mentoring programs. Program evaluations demonstrate that the Buddy Program has helped our Little Buddies in areas of self-esteem, decision making, academics and relationships with friends and family. The Buddy Program worked with 973 youth and their families in 2013, and continues to grow to meet the large need in the Roaring Fork Valley. The Buddy Program is a registered 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

Brad Manosevitz, Chief instructor at Aikido Aspen. Brad began studying Aikido in Santa Cruz, California under the direction of Linda Holiday Sensei in 1990. He has led the Aikido program at Colorado Mountain College since 2001.